Warwickshire have revealed the names of 19 young cricketers that have been selected to join the Academy and Emerging Players Programme (EPP) for the 2013 season.

Mark Best, Jack Grundy, Mike Hingley, Peter McKay and Basit Zaman retain their places in the strong Academy squad of nine, with Barnt Green’s Under 14s wicket-keeper Tom Banton and Under 17s all-rounder Matthew Lamb stepping up from the EPP squad.

Irish-born Under 17s bowling all-rounder Mark Adair and Staffordshire Under 14s top order batsmen Liam Banks complete the Academy line-up in their first season with the Bears.

Dougie Brown, Warwickshire Academy Director & Assistant Coach, said: “Whilst the Academy has traditionally worked with cricketers aged between 16 and 19, its intension is to identify those that have the potential to play First Class Cricket for Warwickshire.

“We’ve taken two players outside of these age groups because of the potential they’ve shown in the previous season. Tom Banton became the youngest 1^st XI wicket-keeper in Birmingham Premier League history last summer, whilst Liam Banks carried his bat for Staffordshire Under 13s in the ECB regional competition as well as scoring 1,029 runs at Taunton Festival.

“The Warwickshire Academy has proven to be one of the most successful programmes in UK cricket, and we’re determined to continue that standard by giving these nine cricketers the very best opportunities, as well as playing and life coaching, available.”

Ten cricketers make-up the 2013 EPP with Danny Brosnan, Chris Camwell, Jim Clifford, Jake Salmon and Marie Kelly re-joining from 2012. In addition Arjun Bath, Aaron Thomason and Georgia Davis step-up from their respective Warwickshire Development of Excellence squads, and both George Hargrave and Rachael Howells join the Bears set-up as part of a formal link with the Shropshire Cricket Board.

Gary Steer, Cricket Performance Manager, said: “The EPP runs parallel to the Academy with some very exciting cricketers that have excelled within the Development of Excellence squads. It has become an essential part of preparing a young cricketer for the future and previous graduates include Bears stars Chris Woakes, Tom Milnes and Ateeq Javid.

“Marie Kelly has already won a place in the England Women’s Academy and Under 19s squads, whilst Jim Clifford was selected for the Midlands last summer.

“We’ve got high hopes for all members of the squad and we’re all very excited to be assisting these players with their development over the coming months.”

 

Warwickshire Academy 2013
First Name		Surname		Age Group		Bat		Bowl	Club
Mark		Adair		U17		Right-Hand Bat		Right-Arm Medium
Liam		Banks		U14/U15		Right-Hand Bat		N/A	Hem Heath
Tom		Banton		U14/U15		Right-Hand Bat		Wicket-keeper	Barnt Green
Mark		Best		U19		Left-Hand Bat		Right-Arm Medium	Leamington
Jack		Grundy		U19		Right-Hand Bat		Left-Arm Fast-Medium	Stratford
Michael		Hingley		U19		Right-Hand Bat		N/A	Old Hill
Matthew		Lamb		U17		Right-Hand Bat		Right-Arm Fast-Medium	Barnt Green
Peter		McKay		U19		Left-Hand Bat		Wicket-keeper	Walmley
Basit		Zaman		U19		Right-Hand Bat		Leg Spinner	Attock
Warwickshire Emerging Players Programme 2013
First Name	Surname		Age Group		Bat		Bowl			Club
Arjun	Bath		U15		Right-Hand Bat		Right-Arm Fast-Medium			Bablake
Daniel	Brosnan		U17		Right-Hand Bat		Wicket-Keeper			Old Hill CC
Chris	Camwell		U14/U15		Right-Hand Bat		Left-Arm Fast-Medium			Bedworth
James	Clifford		U16		Right-Hand Bat		Off- Spinner			Harborne
Georgia	Davis		U14/U17		Right-Hand Bat		Right-Arm Fast-Medium			Walmley
George	Hargrave		U14/U15		Left-Hand Bat		Wicket-Keeper			Much Wenlock
Rachael	Howells		U17		Right-Hand Bat		Right-Arm Fast-Medium			Wellington
Marie	Kelly		U17/Snr		Right-Hand Bat		Right-Arm Medium			Moseley
Jake	Salmon		U17		Right-Hand Bat		Right-Arm Fast-Medium			Leamington
Aaron	Thomason		U16		Right-Hand Bat		Right-Arm Fast-Medium			Sutton Coldfield